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Hope to visit Portmeirion, near Porthmadog this summer and could do with some advice about the best route once I'm actually in Wales. To be honest by 'best route' I mean any route that avoids any major hills! I'm a single lady caravanner and this will be my first long trip as I've only had the ' van' a short time and usually just go to the Dales. I have a Freedom Sunseeker so it's only light and easy to tow but still have a ' thing' about hills !

Thanks

I reckon M56 then A55 then A487 through Caernarfon. This avoids the hills through Snowdonia. The A55 is a very good road, nice and flat, mostly dual cariageway and actually quite scenic, with the sea on one side and the hills the other. A couple of tunnels through the mountains thrown in as well.

The A487 is fairly flat as well. We went to North wales last year and stayed at a site on the Lleyn Peninsula. I really envy you going to that area, it's my favourite bit of our Island by far.

They don't come much lighter than the Freedom Sunseeker. That was our first caravan which I towed with a Mini Metro. Brilliant. Have a great time

Loll

When we went to Portmeirion we stayed the the CC site at Chirk called Lady Margaret's Park and drove out from there to see the fascinating village.

David

Thanks everyone, knew you wouldn't let me down !

A55 and A487 is the route we always use.  The A487 has been improved a lot within the last couple of years and there are major improvements planned in the next few years.

Brian

Just had a thought, if I wanted to carry on down to Cornwall, is there a good road ( avoiding the dreaded hills ) or would I need to reverse my route and re join the motorways that way. Thanks again

That's a tricky one. Crossing Wales is always a long tortuous route.even without a caravan. I live near Bristol & commuted fairly regularly to Caernarfon, driving there and back in a day with a 3 hour meeting there.. I went up the M5 M6 then A55 which took about 5 hours. Coming home I went across Wales by various routes, but they all took about 7 hours or more and that's only as far as Bristol. Cornwall is another 3 hours, 170miles at least solo.

Reversing your original route versus crossing Wales is always a tricky decision. A long way round on good flat roads or a shorter route on paper but winding your way round every hill as best you can with lots of junctions on slow roads. Reversing the route is probably 45 miles further.

Personally I would not travel from North Wales to Cornwall if I could avoid it especially towing a caravan. Why not go to North Wales one year and Cornwall the next. Even so it's stll a long way from Newcastle.

You should write the caravanners guide to Wales Nawer. Lovely descriptions.

Just tickled me when I read your second post and had to re read it as I read that you were suggesting that she reversed all the back through Wales to get to Cornwall.

Phil